In his most forceful public intervention since his election, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday decried the “delusion of omnipotence” that he said was fuelling the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran. Presiding over a peace vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica, the first American-born pontiff appeared to aim his harshest language directly at Washington. “Enough with the idolatry of self and money! Enough with the display of force! Enough with war! True strength is manifested in serving life,” Leo said, speaking in Italian. Though he never mentioned President Donald Trump by name, the timing was pointed: the service coincided with the opening of face-to-face US-Iran negotiations in Pakistan and a fragile, partial ceasefire.

The pope’s rhetoric drew on the pacifist legacy of his predecessors, notably Paul VI and John Paul II. Spanish daily La Vanguardia reported that Leo almost shouted “Deténganse!”—stop!—as he described the conflict as a “nightmare” and warned against an “aggressive delirium.” Vatican-watchers noted that the address went beyond Iran. Leo explicitly demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon, insisted on a “moral obligation” to protect civilians, and urged the international community not to forget “the drama” of Ukraine. The breadth of his appeals signalled a deliberate effort to frame the Middle Eastern war as part of a wider crisis of conscience, not merely a geopolitical dispute.

The homily marks a dramatic departure from the reserved style that defined Leo’s early papacy. Until now, the pope had studiously avoided the kind of off-the-cuff provocations practiced by his predecessor Francis, giving only one extended interview in nearly a year and making unity the leitmotif of his inaugural Mass. This reticence frustrated those who hoped the first American pope would become a natural antagonist to the White House. The Atlantic notes that Leo appeared to dread aggravating divisions inside the politically diverse US Church. Yet the scale of the Iran war, and Trump’s widely reported remark that a whole civilisation would die if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed, seems to have pushed him from silence to a prophetic register.

Whether this new voice will endure is uncertain. Viewed from Rome, the homily avoided direct political indictment, cloaking its criticism in spiritual language. Still, it placed Leo at odds with the administration just as delicate negotiations began. Analysts in London note that by rooting his message in prayer and the moral tradition of the Church, the pope sought to speak to Catholic universalism rather than partisan loyalties. The challenge ahead will be to sustain that prophetic clarity without rending the communion he has so carefully tried to hold together.